Self-interest describes actions that are intended to result in personal gain. It comes with both pros and cons.

Until recently, governments could postpone these choices by borrowing on convenient terms. But now, unprecedented debt levels and higher borrowing costs have raised the stakes. At the same time, ...

Learn how the framing effect influences decision-making in investments, and discover strategies to identify and mitigate its ...

About 70% of college students rely on loans to finance their education, according to the Urban Institute. And while federal student loans offer lower rates and more hardship relief options, they're ...

Arielle O’Shea leads the investing and taxes team at NerdWallet. She has covered personal finance and investing for nearly 20 years, and was a senior writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet before ...

Lauren Graves is an educator-turned-editor specializing in personal finance content. She seeks to make complicated topics easier to understand and less intimidating to the average reader with accurate ...

Editor's Note: APYs listed in this article are up-to-date as of the time of publication. They may fluctuate (up or down) as the Fed rate changes. CNBC Select will update as changes are made public.